The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 23

BOOM.

The distant explosion startled the desert life. The Aridfell pack, which had just begun to relax its guard, snapped back to high alert, their red eyes scanning the horizon. This cactus forest offered a plentiful bounty, but it harbored just as many threats.

Perched on a tall rock formation, a white wyrmling stared intently at the nervous pack below. Beside her, a blue wyrmling sat comfortably on the sand, her tail twitching occasionally. She was holding a large chunk of green cactus, taking contented bites, her pupils wide with enjoyment.

The sudden thunderclap made Azure pause mid-chew. Her pupils, wide with placid enjoyment, instantly constricted into sharp, analytical slits. The sound had carried a long way. That was the kind of power a one star magical beast could produce. So there is another one in this forest.

Then she caught the scent on the wind. Her nostrils flared.

Wait… this aura.

It was an overwhelmingly potent concentration of fire magic. Unmistakable.

Azure's eyes lit up with recognition. It was Aiden. Only he could command such a pure and powerful fiery presence.

Seeing the Aridfell pack on high alert again, Bianca pushed herself up from her perch in frustration.

“Damn it all! If I find out who made that noise…” she growled, “I'll tear them limb from limb!”

Hearing her complaint, Azure slowly turned her head and stared silently at the white dragon.

“What? What are you looking at me for?”

“No, it's nothing,” Azure replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. “The sound was close. Shall we go and see?”

Bianca glanced at the Aridfell, now far too wary for any kind of ambush. The opportunity was lost. She looked back at Azure.

“Fine. Let's go,” she huffed. “If it's some weak little creature, we'll kill it and eat it.”

Kill Aiden? Azure thought wryly. The two of us together probably couldn't beat him anymore. She didn't voice this, instead changing the subject. “Follow me. He should be this way.”

Azure spread her wings and took to the sky. Bianca watched her go for a second before launching herself into the air behind her.

“Azure! Hey, Azure!”

“What is it?” Azure called back without turning.

“As long as that thing isn't high-tier(☆☆☆), we're killing it for dinner, right?” Bianca's long tongue snaked out to lick her jaws, her white eyes shining with famished excitement. It had been a week since their last proper meal. At this point, she had enough courage to pounce on any intermediate-tier(☆☆) magical beast that crossed her path.

“If I had to guess,” Azure said, her voice deliberately slow and low, “I would say it is an intermediate-tier creature.”

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“Huh? Azure, how do you know that?”

Azure didn't need to look back to picture the dumbfounded expression on Bianca's face. “If you spent more time studying the Draconic Heritage, you would know too.”

The explanation satisfied Bianca. The thought of poring over the ancient knowledge of their bloodline was exhausting. Why waste time on such trifles when one could be sleeping? A dragon's life is meant for slumber!

“Oh, is that right?” she chirped. “Well, if it's only intermediate-tier, let's kill it and eat it!”

“…”

“You can lead the charge,” Azure suggested, her voice laced with a smile.

“No problem!” Bianca nodded enthusiastically. “Let's fly faster! What if it gets away?”

“Alright,” Azure agreed readily, picking up her pace.

After several minutes of flight, they stopped, hovering in the air.

On the ground below, the mangled, thirty-yard-long corpse of a Great Desert Serpent lay in the sand. A young red dragon was perched atop it, tearing away great mouthfuls of flesh.

Looking down at the feasting wyrmling, Azure's suspicions were confirmed. It is Aiden.

She silently turned her head to look at Bianca, who had spent the entire flight boasting about the murder she was about to commit. She wondered if the white dragon felt any regret for her words.

“It's Aiden?” Bianca's voice was filled with pure, unadulterated joy.

She recognized him instantly. In that moment, all thoughts of challenges and bravado evaporated, replaced by a single, overwhelming reality.

Meat!

There was so much meat down there.

Ignoring Azure's pointed stare, Bianca folded her wings and plunged toward the ground.

A wave of helplessness washed over Azure. That utter fool of a dragon.

She followed Bianca's dive. As much as she enjoyed the taste of cactus, she had to admit she missed the taste of fresh meat. As she descended, she took in the scene below. A Great Desert Serpent. From its size, it must have been a one-star magical beast.

He defeated a one-star beast all by himself. His rate of growth is astonishing.

Aiden, having just swallowed a large chunk of serpent meat, paused his meal. He heard the rush of wind from above. He lifted his blood-streaked head and saw them—one white and one blue wyrmling, diving toward him.

His two sisters.

As they drew closer, he noticed something. Have they gotten thinner?

Whoosh!

Bianca landed first, folding her large white wings. Aiden looked her over. Her once-plump head seemed leaner, her cheeks slightly hollowed. Yes, she was definitely thinner. It seemed life had been hard for them during his slumber.

“Aiden! You're awake!” Bianca shouted. It was a polite enough greeting, but it was rendered bizarre by the fact that her eyes were glued to the serpent corpse, a torrent of drool dripping from her jaws, making her speech thick and slurry.

“If you want some, eat,” Aiden said simply. He couldn't possibly finish this whole beast by himself. It was better to share it with them than let it rot or be stolen by other scavengers.

Bianca let out a cheer of pure ecstasy. “Yes! Aiden, you're the best, I—”

She didn't even finish her sentence. She was already lunging at the serpent, tearing at the meat with savage delight. “So delicious!” she mumbled through a full mouth.

Another rush of wind announced Azure's arrival. Aiden shifted his gaze from Bianca's back to the blue dragon as she landed gracefully, folding her wings with practiced ease.

Aiden assessed her as well. She seemed to be in slightly better shape than Bianca. Her head was still endearingly large and round, her blue scales still shimmered in the sun, but her body was also leaner than he remembered.

Azure's eyes, in turn, were sweeping over Aiden. His chest, his back, his wings, his neck. There were no wounds. Not a single scratch. He had won an overwhelming victory. He's getting stronger and stronger.

“Eat your fill,” Aiden said to her.

“Mm,” Azure nodded softly.

The three hatchlings dug in, tearing into the corpse of the Great Desert Serpent. The meat of a higher-tier magical beast was a revelation. It was tender, succulent, and completely free of any gamy taste. It was so delicious that all three of them ate far more than they usually would.

Half an hour later, they were completely stuffed. Their bellies were stretched taut and comically rounded. Yet, more than half of the massive serpent still remained.

Aiden pushed himself up, glancing at his sisters. They were both lying flat on their backs in the sand, their round bellies pointing toward the sky in a state of blissful satiety. He turned his attention back to the kill. He had been so focused on eating that he had almost forgotten.

He still needed to retrieve the Great Desert Serpent's magic crystal.